Everafter Falls Monthly dev log: January - New Starting Farms
Hey farmers,
It’s a new year in Everafter Falls. Hope you had a great holiday on Earth. PET can’t wait to see you again. I wanted to give you an update on what is going on in Everafter Falls before you come back. We hope to see you again soon.
I had so much fun talking with Ou, the developer of Everafter Falls at SquareHusky about what he has been working on over the new year.
Dev log
What's New?
Starting farm map choices When starting a new game, you will be presented with a choice of one of three starting farm layouts to choose from. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages, my favorite being the Mini farm which significantly cuts down on travel time across your farm, sacrificing real estate. Great for those who want to focus more on a combat-orientated playthrough. Check out one of our play tester’s (EpicSilence) Mini Farm.
Equipment Orb Slots Equipable items now drop with a chance of having between 1-3 orb slots. These orbs are found by chance in dungeon chests and can adobe forged in the Giant Furnace at Bram’s. They offer various bonuses to stats. Once inserted into an item, they can only be removed by smelting (and thus destroying the item). Even Legendary items have a chance to gain orb slots!
Soot Puffs Soot puffs are a unique type of critter that can be found in different sizes. Find and combine them all into 1 giant puff of soot at the museum. You’ll earn prizes for hitting different milestone goals.
New Item additions
The Artificial Sunflower is a redeemable prize for the first target collecting Soot Puffs (earn when your soot puff reaches 100 in size). It attracts a Bee every day. You can also coat it in Cherry Blossom Syrup to attract a rare Pink bee on the following day.
The Soot Grower can be obtained for a single Museum Credit (earned for completing any museum collection). It will grow a Soot Puff steadily every day. You can increase the rate at which it grows by binding a Pixie to the machine.
The Bomb is a new craftable item that can help you clear out rocks (or enemies) in the dungeons.
New farm produce
Giant Pink Honeycombs can be created by loading up a beehive with 4 Pink Bees. As these are fairly difficult to come by, you’ll need to sacrifice some regular pink honey production to achieve this. It’ll be all worth it when you concentrate the this giant honeycomb down to form Premium Pink Honey!
The new Neon Cow now produces Electric Milk, which is more more aptly suited to match its crazy colors. It is a shockingly refreshing drink.
Here is a big Bench
Looking ahead
Hersha’s bakery. This building has been added to the game, and although it would have been nice to have this completed in time for release, the building will remain closed for repairs. In a post release update, this building will be open, along with a new recipes and cooking system.
Roadmap The next few months up until released will be focused on bug fixing and polish so any new content/features will be limited. I do want to squeeze in a couple of items/decorations before a content lock is in place. From then on, I’ll continue to listen to the play testing feedback and reports to make sure the game is as bug-free as possible. Thank you so much to those who have tested the game and provided valuable feedback and contributions with regards to copywriting, translations, feature suggestions and bug reporting - the game would not be where it is without you!
Some funny bugs that have cropped up during testing.
Chicken Coop Island
Ponya’s going for a swim
Sowing seeds indoors
Chest full of… Giant rugs!
Everafter Falls Monthly dev log - December: New plants, rare animals, and more
Hey farmers,
You may not remember me but I’m Dog from Everafter Falls. The simulation is almost over. Soon, you’ll be back to the serene and peaceful existence right here in Everafter Falls. The marketing lead of Akupara Games from Earth, Buddy will give you a deeper look into the story of Everafter Falls and what you may expect once the simulation is over.
https://youtu.be/iHSRlMsYLOE
I talked with Ou, the developer of Everafter Falls about what they have been working on just to keep all of you in the loop on the biggest and best changes.
Dev Log December
What’s New?
Revamped Museum Collection
The Flora section of the museum has been completely revamped to include Tree Saps, Animal Produce, Flowers, and Processed Goods. A new collection book has been added which contains these new collections.
Rare animal designs
Available as prizes or end game unlockables, your farm wouldn’t be quite as awesome without these :)
New items and machines
Below are some new craftable machines that can be unlocked end game to help you build your dream farm, and items that have made it into the game.
New Flowers
Flowers are unlocked in the end game and flower farms become a possibility. Or grow a few to brighten up any location.
The Zorpian Tree
A rare fruit tree obtainable only through a special visit from some alien friends.
The Sacred Tree Area
This area is unlocked after completing the story where you can unlock some end game items and rare animal designs which are not available elsewhere. After bringing light back to the entire area, you’ll be able to decorate the place and make it your own little peaceful getaway!
Alien Friends Event
Unlockable after completing Cedrics Rocket Quest, you have a 3 day window to trade with the aliens for some rare items. A habit of hoarding is of much use here.
An example of a hoarders inventory:
The Infinite Dungeon Challenge
After completing the story, you’ll be able to work towards obtaining your very own simulation chair which will give you access to an infinite dungeon challenge. See how many levels you can reach, and win some exclusive items for hitting level milestones.
Looking ahead
The Beta version will probably have been complete by the time you are reading this.
I am planning to finish some outstanding additions throughout the Beta that have already been planned such as item augmentation. Along with continuing to implement feedback throughout this important stage as I continue to roll out to more testers.
Implementing translations will also be a main focus in the near future, with Akupara Games helping a lot with that, in addition to the Switch port which is well underway. I’ve also started on Steam Achievements, a preview of some of them can be seen below:
In the works
I’d love to be able to work on the Cooking System, getting recipes and a functional Kitchen in the game. It has been on the cards for a while now but I have not had the chance to start it. If this feature does not make it into the game in the initial release, it is definitely something I will be working on in an update.
- Riv Otter
Everafter Falls Monthly Development Log - October
Hey, farmers!
I’m Joseph, the Community Manager at Akupara Games and I wanted to introduce our newest devlog series: The Everafter Falls Monthly Development Log. With Everafter Falls, coming closer every day, I want to pull pack the development veil to show off some of the coolest changes coming your way when the game launches Soon™ Every month until the launch of Everafter Falls, I will talk with Ou, the developer of Everafter Falls about what they have been working on just to keep all of you in the loop on the biggest and best changes.
What’s new?
Pooklets
As a way to add some variation and interesting points to the dungeons, you’ll encounter these little creatures along the way. Previously named Omobys, these Pooklets have made it into the game in the dungeons. They are randomly scattered throughout each level and upon clearing the room and rescuing them, you get a choice of 3 stat boosting potions.
Mini boss rooms
While in the current alpha testing phase, Ou has found that players are spending a lot of time in the dungeons and there is a lot of room to improve that experience. These mini boss rooms offer up a challenge every now and drop better equipment than you would usually find from chests.
For those that really enjoy a challenge, a Hard Mode has been added, unlocked upon completion of the game. Conversely, if you’d rather a more relaxed and leisurely experience, an Easy Mode is also available.
Pixie Friend
Upon releasing a certain amount of pixies, you can have a little pixie friend follow you around. By meetings certain targets for releasing pixies, you’ll also be able to bestow blessings onto your pixie friend. These are permanent buffs such as increasing the number of mushrooms that grow, or increasing the number of items your farm animals produce. Up to 3 blessings can be earned, and you can stack the same ones!
Spooklet Debt Collector
Previously, when losing all your HP in the dungeons, a Spooklet rescues you, taking 10% of your gold. After feedback from players, this system seemed to encourage players to spend and keep their gold total low before entering the dungeons.
To address this, spooklets will take a fixed amount of gold, depending on the level of the dungeons you are in. If you do not have enough gold, a Spooklet guard will block entry back into the dungeons until the debt is settled (plus 20% extra for the trouble).
The Job Board
For some extra income, players can take on jobs from villagers to earn gold. It gives players some extra goals to achieve in between quests.
Giant Lotuses
Farming giant lotuses is a rewarding and lucrative path, however getting them will be tricky. Lotus pods (the final stage of development of a lotus plant) can be thrown into water to create a new lotus plant of a random color. Not only do you need to create a 3x3 grid of lotus plants, they must all be the same color. Only then is there a chance for a giant lotus to form (currently at 3% per day).
Here is a big couch
That’s it. Ou added a big couch. It’s comfy.
Non gameplay developments
The new reduced color palette option seems to be quite popular. Although intended as an accessibility setting for when color overload can cause eye fatigue, some prefer this toned down palette over the original.
The color picker for character customization has been introduced in addition to the default palette set available.
Funny Bugs
Fruits available even out of season
It’ll be a while before it’s ready…
NPC’s walking on water?
The deadly +2 attack legendary rare drop
Man the winds are strong over here.
That NPC above taught players how to walk on water too…
A new quest is available
Looking ahead
A lot of work has been put into reworking and balancing both the dungeon difficulty curve and the economy. While a lot of changes have been made (some quite drastically,) Ou feels this will be a point of focus going forward and will continue right up until release. “I am finding this the most difficult part of development but something I am committed to getting right. I am extremely grateful to the dedicated group of players who are helping me to achieve this,” Ou told me
In the works
Finding time in between fixing all the bugs being discovered to work on new content is still a little tough right now. One such area being worked on is the Sacred Tree. It is unlocked after completing the core story and will be different from how you develop your farm. Tiles are inaccessible at first, apart from a small area around the tree. Planting the seeds you harvest from this tree will create flowers that unlock the tiles directly surrounding it.
You’ll be able to slowly grow the area and fill it with a wide assortment of flowers (which you can take back to grow on your farm). At the extremities of this area lay access to some unique rewards, so your choice in which direction to expand towards matters.
Snippet of future feature
The Ability to enhance Equipment is in the planning stages, which would be really helpful if you want to make it far in the infinite dungeon challenge.
Ou often gives updates and sneak peeks to what they are working on in the Akupara Discord!
- Riv Otter
Developer Talk: Everafter Falls Art
Hey, farmers!
About a month ago, we announced our partnership with SquareHusky to publish Everafter Falls, our cute, story rich, farming sim where you rediscover the simple life– after waking up from a simulation.. You've no memory of this place, your quaint animal neighbors, the refreshing wind and fragrant flowers, the little farm you had tucked away just outside town, none of it.
I talked with Ou Te, the designer behind SquareHusky and creator of Everafter Falls, and asked him some questions to gain some insight to share on the game’s iconic art! If you’d like to keep up with Ou, I’d recommend following him on Twitter!
Where did you get your inspiration for the art design in Everafter Falls?
When I started working on the art style for the game, a couple of preview trailers came out for another game called “Swords of Ditto”. I used this a lot for inspiration, and the final result was somewhere between that, and the best my art skills could take me.
Were there any art directions you consider going before falling on the current one?
There was a bit of an internal debate between going with pixel art, and the route I eventually chose. The final decision was made due to what I perceived to be easier for me to achieve. I absolutely love pixel art but know that to pull it off well takes an insane amount of time and skill.
What challenges did you face with the art design you picked?
It took a while for me to figure out the easiest way to achieve the look I wanted, and to do it consistently. I experimented with painting using a graphics tablet initially, but soon realized that a vector approach using Illustrator was the way to go. It took a lot of time to develop a style that was not too time-consuming, but had enough detail to look decent. A lot was trial and error
Do you have some early sketches or art progression of characters, environments, etc. that you would like to show off?
Here is a very early mockup I created of what I envisioned the game might look like. It was done before I committed to creating any of the final assets used in game, and I used it as a guide for how the game eventually turned out.
What is a step by step on how to draw one of the characters in Everafter Falls?
When deciding on how a character is drawn, you should first work out exactly how they will be set up and animated in the game engine. I set this up in a way that I could quickly create new characters by drawing the least number of assets possible. This was achieved by breaking the character components into only a head and torso component. This way, I only needed to provide front, back, and side views of these two assets. The hands and feet are simple shapes that I set up once, and used code to change the colors to match the character.
Below are some examples of character sprite sheets used in Everafter Falls.
What was your favorite asset that you created for Everafter Falls?
This fish fountain, because it is the only asset I had to redo from scratch after my computer crashed. I am normally very OCD with CTRL+S every couple of minutes. And illustrator is normally really good at recovering files after a crash. But both these things did not happen in this instance. I guess I must have been really engrossed in drawing this and recall working on it for a couple of hours before completely losing the first version, which I am adamant was much better than this one. After much cursing at the top of my lungs, and resigning to having to do it again, this was the result.
What are some tips you can give other indie artists?
It is definitely worth the time to try and flesh out a style early on that you are happy with, while also being feasible. Especially if you have a smaller team or are working solo, you need to be efficient with the time you have to dedicate to art. I feel that a cohesive and consistent look is really important and can go a long way to making your game more visually appealing. Be prepared to iterate often during the early stages, but once you have a style nailed down, the process should be frustratingly difficult or time consuming. If it is, I would go back and rethink your style.
Fae, our social media master, will be streaming part 2 of Everafter Falls tomorrow 10am PST! If you miss or are busy for part 1 of the stream on today, then you can watch Fae continue their farming experience tomorrow and try to not accidentally kill all their crops.
I’m super happy seeing the excitement for Everafter Fall.
My good friend Fae, the social media manager, will be streaming Everafter Fall here on Steam in celebration of Steam Next Fest! She will be live tomorrow 10am PST and on Friday at 10am PST!
I’m Joseph and I’m the community manager at Akupara Games. I’m happy to announce that Akupara Games is partnering with SquareHusky to publish Everafter Falls!
You can watch the trailer here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unskxVtw4NQ
You once had a serene and peaceful existence right here in Everafter Falls. Don't you remember?
You wake up to discover your previous life was nothing but a simulation. You've no memory of this place, your quaint animal neighbors, the refreshing wind and fragrant flowers, the little farm you had tucked away just outside town, none of it. But once you spend a little time with your forgotten friends and your helpful pet, doesn't Everafter Falls just feel perfect? Isn't it where you always wanted to be?
Features
Lifestyle Farming Sim: Farm, fish, and forage a huge collection of items to make the most efficient yet cozy farm this side of Stardew
Uncover the Mystery: Help your new friends with their extremely important small-town drama through quests and conversation
Enlist Your Friends' Aid: Tackle your farm's toughest challenges with a friend in split-screen co-op!
Start your Collect-o-pedia: Collect all the fish for the town aquarium, plant dozens of different crops, and munch down skill cards to level up your combat!
Become an Expert: Equip helpful little drones to help automate your farm keeping things running even when you're down in the dungeons.
I can’t wait to be able to share more information with you on the wholesomeness of Everafter Falls.
- Joseph
Alpha Testing and the Steam Next Fest
To fans of the game who have been following for a long time, this is a big milestone, I'm excited to announce that the game is currently undergoing Alpha testing. I've received a lot of feedback and have made a lot of changes since. I will continue to change and add core features during this stage and once I feel it is ready, the Beta testing phase will start.
Currently, all testing phases are closed tests and invite only.
If you'd like to follow the progress, you can read all the discussions about this in the Alpha testing Issues and feedback forum ( https://steamcommunity.com/app/1416960/discussions/1/ )
For those of you who would like a chance to play the game early, a demo will be available during the Steam Next Fest. Wishlist and follow to be reminded when the time comes.
Thank you for everyone who has waited patiently for the game's release.
Until next time, Husky
All enquiries about the game, please email me at squarehusky@gmail.com.
Discord server now live for Everafter Falls
As you may know, Everafter Falls is still a WIP and I would love to get feedback from the community to help shape this game.
If you have any comments or suggestions, or want to have a chat with myself and other fans of the genre, please stop by on Discord
https://discord.gg/aErc2B8BQb
Thank you for following the game and hope to see you online!
